A smile can be the most eye-catching feature
of your face. Even a subtle change can make
a big difference in the way you look and feel.
New techniques like whitening,
bonding, enamel
shaping, veneers,
and white fillings
allow us to create a beautiful smile with, at
times, only minimal changes to existing teeth.

Teeth Whitening
is a very popular procedure in cosmetic dentistry.
It is a relatively easy and effective technique
for obtaining a dazzling, whiter smile, at home,
in a matter of days.

Bonding is
a procedure where tooth-coloured composite resin
material is placed to "fill in the blanks."
One of the most frequent uses of the bonding
technique is to fill in a gap between front
teeth.

Enamel Shaping (Contouring)
is the process of shaping natural teeth to improve
their appearance. Shaping can be used to correct
minor cases of crowded or overlapping teeth,
smooth rough edges, or make small adjustments
to the shape of a tooth.

Veneers are
laboratory fabricated, porcelain facings that
are bonded to the front surfaces of teeth to
whiten teeth, close spaces, straighten teeth,
or repair chipped or worn teeth. The veneers
are only about 1 mm thick (the thickness of
a fingernail). That same thickness is "shaved"
off the natural tooth surface so when the veneer
is bonded to the tooth, the tooth doesn't feel
or look "thicker".

Caps (Crowns)
are rarely used for cosmetic correction any
more, since the advent of veneers, but in some
cases a crown may be necessary for a particular
tooth. A tooth with a bad fracture
or a large filling
that is breaking down, or has decay around it,
may be a candidate for a crown instead of a
veneer. This patient has veneers on top, but
one of the front teeth had a large filling and
had to be crowned.

Orthodontics is
no longer just braces. Arch
expanders can sometimes be used in younger children
to prevent or minimize any need for braces. A patient
that needs braces now has a choice of silver or
white/clear brackets. Retainers may be used to help
maintain straight teeth. Adults now have the option
of wearing an "invisible"
retainer to correct mild to moderate crowding.